Summary

There are over a million known insect species, making them the largest of all the animal groups.

There are over a million known insect species, making them the largest of all the animal groups. Of this million, there are 100,000 species in Europe and 20,000 in the British Isles. This is an introduction to 240 of the most commonly found species within the British Isles. Each insect entry includes: a photograph of the insect and details of distinguishing features which can help with identification; information on size, habitat, geographical range and months when the insect can be spotted; and the names of similar species with which the insect could be confused, and details of the differences between them.